2012 Kia Sportage EX AWD

Billed as a "compact crossover," the Kia Sportage drives like a car in the body of an SUV. Besides being among the smallest vehicles in our test, this crossover has the lowest base price and plenty of options to boot; you can upgrade to your heart's content or go for a more stripped-down wallet-friendly model. If you want a little more space, but not a lot, the Sportage may be the perfect compromise.

Driving Experience

With our test model's four-cylinder engine, the Sportage isn't going to win any races; it turned in one of the slowest acceleration times in Car and Driver's track testing. The braking was fine, you won't notice too much road noise, but the Kia did stand out when it came to road holding. It gripped the pavement better than most crossovers in our test around sharp turns.

One of the first things we noticed when we took the Sportage out on the road was its less-than-impressive visibility. A pillar extends clear from the rear door to the rear hatch, making for a rather large blind spot in the back. The ride was stiff too — we really felt bumps in the road. Though the Kia's smaller size did help make parking less of a challenge, we really felt hampered by its poor visibility.

Infotainment System & Controls

The infotainment system is where the Sportage really shined, offering an intuitive and easy to operate media and navigation system. One note though, the navigation system allowed input while driving, which for safety reasons we caution against. The climate controls earned the highest score among the vehicles tested for the Kia's straightforward two-knob system and handy digital display. In fact, the entire user interface from infotainment to driver controls and displays was top-tier in our test.

Interior & Design

The Sportage's interior was a bit more crowded than the other test vehicles — unsurprising given its smaller overall size — but it wasn't uncomfortable by any means. While it has seating for five, the middle rear seat isn't comfortable enough for longer trips. We also really missed the inside storage space and trunk capacity of the larger crossovers. However, the Kia provided other thoughtful points of storage including seat back, rear-hatch elastic nets, door storage, rear cup holders, a useful center console, and even a small compartment on top to store sunglasses.